Of Jedi and Sith
by The Soul Hammer
Summary: 2000 years before the clone wars, there was a greater war, The New Sith Wars. This is the story of the begining of the war, and the heroes that played a major part in its begining.
1. Concerning Attachment

**of Jedi and Sith**

Concerning Attachment

Jernu was just watching the horizon as the dual suns were sinking below the mountains. A slight breeze passed over his fair, olive tinged face. The small dust that it picked up deposited on his tan gee, which he wiped off. He picked up a hand full of sand and allowed it to fall through his fingers. He removed his basket hat and exposed his dark brown horns to the cool evening air. Jernu again took a long look at the sunsets. He felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. He felt at peace. He felt genuinely at home now. He had been here long enough that it was now his home.

Jernu was what is called a Zabrak, a very human like species. They appear almost entirely human, except for the crown of horns that emerge from their skulls. Jernu was taller for his species, at nearly six feet. His build was lean, not very large. However, his body belied his true skills.

He felt home finally, because he wasn't a native of this planet. He had been living on Tatooine for about seven years, before which he wandered the galaxy with his former master. That was, until he came to this very planet before, and his apprenticeship ended suddenly. Even before that, he lived on Iridonia, the Zabrak home planet, until he was taken up by the Jedi Order at age three. After being knighted, he was then assigned to further study this planet, and here he was.

He then felt something else. Something he also hadn't felt for a while. It was familiar and exciting at the same time. There was someone behind him, someone he had known before coming to this planet. He stood up and turned to face this person. On the other side of the dune, some twenty feet away, stood a solitary man. His hood covering his face. Jernu knew who it was. His presence, his aura, was unmistakable. The black cloak and suit, boots and gloves, the tall and broad frame, he knew him very well. A smile crept across Jernu's face, as he knew one was on the other man's face.

From Jernu's belt, he slowly drew his lightsaber and activated it, posing in his dueling fashion. He turned to the side, saber pointed straight at the opponent, and free hand in the air. The green light bathed his face. The man stood motionless, till reached under his cloak and pulled two sabers out with almost lightning speed. They each glowed with a deep red as he pulled them back, ready to engage. The two stood motionless for, anticipating the other to engage first. The man then quickly charged at Jernu and swung his first strike. Jernu met the blade with his own and quickly reacted to block the incoming off-hand attack. It had been a while since Jernu fought against another lightsaber, let alone two, but he remembered the dueling art quite well. It was a specialty of sorts to him.

The flurry of red swings did not end there. They came from the left, right, top, and bottom. Jernu, however, managed to meet every jab and hack with the green blade. Jernu well knew this fighting style. The man was quick and quite strong, but would rarely come in with both sabers at the same time, giving Jernu time to block each attack. Jernu wasn't an aggressive fighter. He was trained in the Makashi fighting style, which emphasized parry and fluid movements. He generally didn't go on the offensive, waiting, instead, to find an opening and take advantage.

The man came down with both sabers over the head and Jernu held his saber horizontal, blocking both. There was a pause in the fight. Jernu could finally see his opponent's eyes under the hood. The man's eyes were blazing with intensity, but not with rage or anger. They looked at each other for a time, locking the sabers, until both erupted in laughter. They slowly withdrew there lightsabers and deactivated them. They then embraced each other, still laughing.

"It's been quite some time Syrik," commented Jernu, wiping the newly formed tears in his eyes.

"Indeed it has Jernu," said Syrik. He lowered his hood, revealing a pale, human face with long brown hair pulled back into a pony-tail.

"Come, Syrik, let me buy you a drink. I know a good cantina around here."

--

The two walked backed into Mos Espa, the nearest city, telling tales and laughing all along the way. Jernu had missed his closest friend. He saw him off when he left for Tatooine, and that had been the last time they saw each other. It was curious, however, that he'd make the trip way out here for just a visit.

"So what travels have you been up to?" asked Jernu, "Have you ended any wars on the tip of your blade lately?" he prodded jokingly.

"Jernu, you know that my operations are off the record." He paused. "Well, yes I have helped to prevent some open confrontations with my own form of 'diplomacy'. But my journeys are not to be mentioned. What about you Jernu? What have you been doing alone on this back water planet?"

Jernu smiled at the phrase 'back water,' as there was very little of it here. "I will admit, if there ever was a rear end of the galaxy, we are probably standing on it. However, it has really grown on me. There's a certain charm about it. Anyways, I think the council will be proud of my accomplishments. I've gotten a lot done since I was appointed to investigate the history of Tatooine. I have managed to make peaceful contact with the Sand People. They've even granted me tribal status, and I'm now the 'Tribal Shaman' in the settlement just outside of Mos Espa. They have told me their account of the history of the planet, and have led me to several ruins which could reveal more information."

Syrik looked onto Jernu for a moment as they walked on before asking, "So you've been just digging in the sand for seven years looking for old pots? I thought you'd be enforcing the Republic here. You know, taking down some smugglers."

"You think that I alone could bring down the Hutts and enforce the will of the Republic here. The Republic rights off the planet, and some don't even realize it exists. Hell, Tattooine doesn't send any Senators, so we have no jurisdiction. However, the council is very interested in discovering the history of several planets, especially Tatooine. If I can make a major break through here, I could be looking at a possible seat on the Council."

Syrik muttered something under his breath, and Jernu heard him say something about the Council. "Would you like to share, Syrik?"

"You know that those seats are for old gaffers that just sit around on their egocentric asses and talk all day. Knights like you and me actually get things done. We're the ones who are out there doing the work that the Council doesn't want to do. You don't belong there."

"You may have left the Sith behind, but your mind still holds some of its tenants," said Jernu with a low voice.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" He asked with a slightly sarcastic tone.

"The Jedi Code holds that thought supercedes actions. Diplomacy is the first course of action between warring groups, unlike the Sith who shoot first and ask later."

"Yes, yes. The Sith are impulsive and spontaneous while the Jedi are slow and over think every thing. I don't think a lecture is a great way to greet an old friend, Jernu. Where's that cantina you told me about?"

"It's just right over here."

Syrik was indeed a convert from the Sith Order. He lived on Coruscant in a secret enclave, when it was raided by Jedi when he was twelve. He got into a fight with a young Jedi, who managed to talk him down, and bring him to the Jedi Order. He was reluctantly accepted by the Council, and was a little rebellious still, but generally accepted the tenets of the Jedi. However, he was viewed by some as a Gray Jedi.

The two Jedi found a small corner of the cantina where they sat and continued discussing. Their talk ranged from politics, to philosophy, to who could eat the most bantha fodder without throwing up. Although it never surmounted to an actual contest, they never agreed on a winner.

"So, what is it that you're doing on this planet anyways? A pretty far trip to make just to catch up with an old friend." asked Jernu before sipping his drink.

"Well, the council have given me an assignment to…well…you see…its one of my less savory assignments that I've been given."

"What is it?" Jernu asked curious. Syrik had a mind like a steel trap. None off his assignments had thrown him off like this before.

"The council has discovered a new Sith temple and training facility on the planet of Korriban. It has been set in an old Sith temple that was destroyed two thousand years ago. A large task force would be seen so early, they'd just pick up and leave. So they've assigned me to assassinate the temple leaders and the students therein."

"Wait, you said this was a less savory mission. Hunting Sith is what you do. Why is this one so different?"

"The temple overlord is…is…my mother," Syrik said. Jernu gave a pause, contemplating Syrik's situation. This was big news. Syrik's mother was the Overlord at the enclave that Jernu had found Syrik. The Jedi had been searching for her for years now. Finally, breaking the silence between them, Syrik said, "I need you to come with me, Jernu. I need you to come with me to Korriban."

"What?" Jernu wasn't exactly sure what to say. "I…You…I just can't leave! There is so much here I still have to do. I'm not done mapping the…"

"I need you to come with me. I fear that when I confront her, she may lure me back to the Dark Side, make me forget all the Jedi have taught me. If you are next to me, you can help me. I am no longer Darth Martur. But the only way I can become Syrik, Jedi Knight, is to confront my mother." He paused. "I need you Jernu."

"I…It…Well, first I would need the approval of the Council to leave my post, and then I would need to find a replacement to stand in my absence…"

"I have taken care of it. I made a personal plea to the Council and they approved of your coming. Your temporary stand in came with me and is waiting on my ship in the hanger. His name is Master Phanius and he hadn't had a mission is nearly a year. When I was asked to find a replacement, he was eager to do anything, even baby sit your little project. What am I to tell him? Is he to stay here on Tatooine, or does he go back to Coruscant and wait for some other opportunity?"

After a contemplative pause, Jernu let out a sigh. He did not like the idea of just up and leaving Tatooine. However, it seemed that Syrik really needed him. Finally, he answered, "He will stay here. I'll go with you to Korriban, Syrik."

--

Jernu stepped into his small hut on the outskirts of the city that night. He looked around at the small number of possessions he actually owned. His Jedi beliefs led to a life of minimal material possessions. His small food storage, a few broken and busted up droids, a small work bench, his meditation pad, and his collection of datapads containing the information he's gathered over the years. His mind wandered to Syrik's situation. He couldn't imagine what Syrik is going through, being told he needs to kill his own mother. Jernu never knew his parents that well. He did however have Master Yan, his master that taught him the Jedi ways. On a trip to Tatooine while chasing a bounty hunter, his master was killed by a land mine left by the bounty hunter, and Jernu finished the mission on his own. This was what earned him his knighthood, but that loss had lingered to this day. This was the only thing that he could draw on to empathize with Syrik at all.

Jernu shook the unhappy memory from his thoughts and continued searching the room. He needed to pack for the upcoming trip. It was during this that his eyes fell on his most beloved possession, a gaffi stick. This acts as the weapon of the Sand People, and was given by the Sand People Chieftain as a symbol of his tribal status. He then realized, the Sand People! What will the Sand People think when he disappears for a while? And what will they think about his stand in?

Jernu quickly hopped on his speeder bike and hasted over to the Sand People camp. The camp had taken residence in a cave that lay on the border of the Dune Sea. It was a bit of a trip, but when he reached the camp, several hours later, the guards greeted him and led him to the chieftain. Had Jernu been an outsider, he'd likely be either dead, or have dead Sand People at his feet. Jernu wandered the tunnels of the cave until he came to the chief. He kneeled before the chief, who sat in a small, makeshift chair, heavily adorned with bantha furs and trinkets. Jernu made sure to keeps his eyes to the floor, so as not to offend him.

"Greetings Shaman Jernu, what brings you before me in such a hasty manner?" asked the chieftain.

"Chief Lo'kuu," he said in the Sand People's native language, "I must report some news to you." He remained on his knees, still looking at the floor.

"What is it Shaman Jernu?"

"I must tell the tribe that I shall be away for some time and will not be here for you to call upon. The matter is not the concern of the tribe, but they should be relieved that I will be returning as soon as possible," Jernu said.

"You have not consulted me or the elders on this matter, Shaman Jernu," said the Chief with a slightly annoyed tone. "You, though an outsider, should know the procedures of the tribe."

"I apologize Chief Lo'kuu, but the matter requires immediate attention from me."

The Chieftain looked at Jernu for a moment from his throne. Jernu dare not raise his head to see what the chief was doing (though it would be futile to read his expression with his mask on). The Chief stood, walked over to Jernu, and placed his hands on Jernu's shoulder, pulling him up to eye level before responding, "You are wise Shaman Jernu. If you say a matter requires that you be there, then I trust what you say."

Jernu refrained from being visibly relieved, but let out a huge sigh in his mind. "I must report another matter related to the first. There is another person, trained in the shamanistic ways like I, which will be here in my absence. He will simply be watching over the ruins you showed me. Whether you invite him into the tribe is your choice, and I will not ask you to do as such. However, I plea that the tribe leave him be and do him no harm. He does not speak Sand People, but he will have a translator to aid him."

"If you say he is no threat, then I trust your judgment. We will judge his character and determine if he is worthy of tribal status. If not, he will be left alone."

"I thank you Chief Lo'kuu. I shall be off then."

Jernu began to walk off, when Cief Loku stopped him with his voice. "Before you leave, you must make a promise to the tribe, Shaman Jernu."

"What does the tribe ask of me?" asked Jernu, slightly nervous.

"Upon your arrival back home, you shall take a student and teach your shamanistic methods to one of our children."

That would be more difficult, Jernu thought to himself. He realized that he would need the approval of the Council in order take a padawan, but he did not wish to offend the Chieftain. This would also be a bench mark, as it would be the first of the Sand People to become a Jedi on record. "I shall see if anyone is worthy of taking the shaman ways upon my arrival. Remember, not just anyone can learn the shamanistic tradition. May the wind be at your back, Chieftain Lo'kuu."

"May you be blessed with rain and clouds, Shaman Jernu."

--

It was now the day that the two companions were to leave for Korriban. Syrik was checking on the supply stores on the _Harvester_, his ship, given by the Council for this mission. Jernu was still talking with Phanius about how he should work in his absence, including not touching anything in the ruins, and not letting a single being in proximity of the ruins. As an Umbaran, Phanius was humanoid in size and shape, however, he had very pale skin and deep, sunken eyes. Phanius just sat there, not really listening. He wasn't in the mood to be lectured by a Knight.

"Jernu, don't worry about a thing. Phanius won't let anything happen to your ruins. They've been there for thousands of years. I'm sure they'll be there when we get back." Syrik grabbed Jernu by his gee and pulled him onto the ship. Phanius looked on as the ship lifted from the ground and reached for the sky. Jernu really didn't enjoy space flight. He needed the firm ground under his feet to feel normal. His stomach went into his throat slightly whilst he looked onto the planet as they flew away.

"Seven years on that planet, and I just started calling it home. I'm missing it already." The planet grew smaller and smaller, and Jenru felt a bit colder and colder.

"Anyway, if you can pull your eyes off of it for one second, you might want to strap in. Were about to enter hyperspace." The two looked out the front window and the stars stretched beyond the horizon.

--

'I guess I should do what I'm here to do,' Phanius thought. He was sitting on Jernu's meditation pad, reflecting on his life. He had been granted the position of Master some years ago, but when he began to lecture to his students, the Council was disturbed by his teachings. They were out to get him, and he didn't like it. They prevented him from teaching any more students, and he wasn't allotted any more padawans.

Phanius walked out of the hut and sat on the speeder. He didn't ride off immediately. He just sat there, still thinking. It was dark out. The suns had set, and the stars shone brightly in the clear sky. He then leaned over and sped off to the ruins and make sure no one was disturbing them. When he finally got there, he saw no one. Phanius was ready to turn around and leave when he felt a presence behind him. He quickly spun around, yellow saber in hand, and saw three Sand People approaching from the behind a rock. They seemed shaken, but still came toward him.

He heard a loud grunt come from the lead Sand Person, but Phanius didn't comprehend. He then remembered the translator, deactivated his saber, and retrieved it. Another grunt came out and the droid said in an electronic voice, "Shaman?"

Shaman? He was no Shaman. He was a Jedi. Phanius said into the translator, "I'm here for Jernu." The translator let out a series of growls and the Sand People were visibly more relieved, but still came to him. When they finally reached Phanius, there was a tangible tension between them. The Sand People simply looked him over, and said nothing. Phanius felt like a piece of meat, and kept his hand near his lightsaber.

One of them left out several grunts, and the translator said, "We don't like you. You don't look trustworthy." Phanius looked at them with furious eyes. How could such primitive beings think they were better than him? He threw the translator into the sand and hoped onto the speeder. If the Sand People were not going to accept him, than he will not accept them as well. Phanius held grudges, and he usually didn't let them go.

--

When they exited hyperspace, they found themselves over the planet of Aargau. It was a relatively small planet with luscious forests, vast oceans, and long mountain lines. This was where they would make a turn off of the Correllian Run and onto the Daragon Trail to make a direct path to Korriban. Going straight from Tatooine to Korriban in hyperspace would send them through a few stars, so Syrik decided to make a way point out of Aargau.

"Where are we?' asked Jernu looking onto the planet.

"This is Aargau. It's only barely populated. There are some indigenous people, but they haven't been exposed to the republic yet. It's most often used as a very beautiful vacation spot for wealthy travelers. We just need to make a turn into hyperspace here."

Jernu was curious about what the people were like on the planet. It was so close to Coruscant, yet it didn't have a Republic presence? What were the indigenous people like? He'd have to come and visit it when he was finished on Tattooine. Just as soon as Syrik placed his hand on the throttle to enter hyperspace, the ship shook violently and the emergency warnings began to flare. Syrik immediately began pressing buttons and flipping switches, but Jernu didn't know what was going on. The sirens blared and the ship began speeding to the planet.

"What was that?" exclaimed Jernu.

"We got hit by something. We're going have to have an emergency landing." Syrik looked on the proximity radar and saw a ship he knew all too well. The _Harvester_ entered the atmosphere and headed for the beach on one of the ocean's edges. The two braced for impact as the ship crashed into the sand parallel to the coast. The near entire front of the ship was buried in the sand. Jernu was very shaken by the crash, but Syrik seemed very collected, assessing the situation.

"The ship is buried pretty deep in the sand. I should be able to repair any damage, but we'll need to find some help to dig the _Harvester_ out of the sand," reported Syrik.

"What hit us? Was that another ship?" asked Jernu.

Syrik stopped where he was, and remained motionless for a moment. He turned to Jernu and placed his hand on his shoulder, "Jernu, I'm not going to lie to you. In the line of work that I do, I have made some enemies." He took a pause. "It was a Trondashen named Sloveen. He's a bounty hunter that I've met before on several occasions. He probably tracked me from Tatooine."

"Ok," said Jernu calming himself, "So we're stranded on a planet, with little equipment, and a bounty hunter after us. Are there any cities here?"

"A few cities here or there."

"Well, I feel like I'm back at home. Let's get to the nearest settlement and try to get the _Harvester_ back in space. And be wary. This Sloveen guy is sure to be after us down here."

Syrik led Jernu off the _Harvester_ and onto the beach. Jernu immediately felt a disturbance and placed his hand on his saber's handle. It was apparent that Syrik felt it too, as he hid his hands under his cloak. The two sat for a moment, anticipating some attack, but nothing came of it. They soon relaxed and continued on.

On the edge of the beach, a sparse forest with tall grasses between the trees sat quietly and ominously. Syrik lifted his hood onto his head and Jernu put his hat on. The two walked into the grasses trying to find any signs of a civilization.

While that initial disturbance was strong, it was very quick. However, there was a lingering that continued as they made their way into the forest. It felt much like the day Jernu entered the enclave on Coruscant. It felt a lot like Syrik himself, but more malicious. Jernu decided not to dwell on it, till Syrik abruptly stopped in the middle of a large glen. Jernu stopped to observe him. Syrik had a focused look on his face, as if he were trying to sense something. The shadow of the dark side had settled over his mind. There was a dark Jedi, or even a Sith, nearby. "Be on your guard Jernu, we could have some trouble."

While Syrik was a skilled Jedi, his connection to the force wasn't as strong as Jernu's. Jernu may have been good at duels, but on a whole, fitting was not his main skill. He could fight one person well, but adding more would throw him off. Syrik was the warrior of the two. Jernu was a sage and scientist. He had a deep connection to the manipulations of the force. This made Jernu wonder how Syrik could feel such a feint disturbance in the force.

The two Jedi continued forward, more tense than before, farther into the forest. Various creatures flew through the canopy, however, no sound could be heard other than the foot steps under their feet. The shadow continued to grow darker in Syrik's mind, yet Jernu could feel nothing of it. He only felt a disturbance. They soon broke through a tree line opening onto a vast plain beyond a sheer twenty foot cliff. The cliff turned into a slight hill about fifty feet to the left. When they looked out onto the plain, they could see a settlement along a river running through the plain.

"Hopefully, there will be some peoples there to help dig out the _Harvester_," stated Jernu with a light sigh.

The two Jedi walked to the left and headed down the hill to the settlement. The grass instantly reached waist height when they stood on level ground. Small birds were continually stirred up as they walked through the grass. After a while, they reached the edge of the town. There was absolutely no sound anywhere. Not a single person or creature was to be seen. They stood in the street for a moment, wondering what was going on, when they heard a sound to their left.

"Psst! Get inside!" said a voice from one of the buildings. The two looked to each other and shrugged. They crept to the door, hands placed on their sabers, and a woman, covered in robes and rags, opened the door. She ushered the Jedi in and immediately closed the door.

"What be ya doin out in the street at dis time? Do ya want ta be killed or somtin?" asked the woman somewhat angrily. She stood no more than five feet high, and seemed to be greater than sixty years old.

"Why? Is there a curfew for this time or something?" asked Jernu.

"You be outsiders, right? Yes, de Warlock doesn't want anyone out at dis time."

"The Warlock?" asked Syrik.

The woman sat the Jedi down and began her story. "De Warlock. He came about a year ago and overthrew our town elders. It was a dark night, and mist ung low over da plain. He single handedly killed half our guard and de uter half decided to work under him. No one dare stand up to him. He can move tings wit his mind, shoot lightning from his very fingers, and wields a sword of pure fire."

The Jedi immediately knew that it was a Sith that she was describing. Somehow, a Sith had come here and conquered the village. They knew that they needed to eliminate this Sith soon. "Where is the Warlock?" asked Jernu.

"He's livin' at de mansion in de middle of de town. You can't miss it."

"Did he come with any other Warlocks, or helpers?" asked Syrik.

"No, he came alone, and he conquered alone."

"Thank you," said Jernu and the two walked back into the street. They calmly walked down the corridor of buildings, noticing people staring at them through their windows. However, none of the people came out, and the streets remained barren. When they were within fifty meters of the mansion, three guards walked toward them, one of them yelling, "Hey, get back to your homes!"

Jernu and Syrik activated their sabers and the guards stopped in their tracks, as the Jedi continued their advancement. Two immediately turned around and ran back to the mansion. The other, seemingly unphased by the sabers, charged with his spear ready to engage. Jernu held his hand out and the guard immediately flew backwards. The man stood, shaking his head, and then ran off towards the mansion. The two continued on to the mansion until they reached the stairway leading to the door. Standing in front of the door was a man, clad all in black, and a red lightsaber held in one hand.

"What are you Jedi scum doing in my city?" said the Sith through his teeth. He then tilted his head to the side with a look of curiosity. "Syrik? Has my own brother forsaken his family and joined the Jedi. Mother would be disappointed in you."

"I can't do this Jernu. Not yet," said Syrik, slightly panicked, "I can't fight my family yet."

Suddenly, a laser bolt flew past Syrik's head and struck the ground. The two turned around and saw a Trandoshen, his scaly skin, clawed hands, and lizard muzzle with a blaster rifle standing on the roof of a building. The Jedi looked each other in the eye and immediately knew how the situation would pan out. Jernu turned to charge Syrik's brother while Syrik engaged Sloveen. Sloveen fired bolt after bolt while Syrik deflected them away. He leapt up onto the roof and continued to deflect the bolts. The Trandoshen leapt of the roof and onto the ground, still firing the bolts. Syrik soon followed onto the ground and continued the pursuit. When Syrik was close enough, he went into attack mode and sliced one of Sloveen's hands off along with the rifle being cut in half.

Meanwhile, Jernu had engaged Syrik's brother on the steps of the mansion. Jernu was plenty capable of blocking the incoming attacks; however, Jernu could not find an opening to strike. Then, Syrik's brother back-flipped away from Jernu and shot a bolt of lighting from his fingers. Jernu had learned a deep connection with the force and was capable of manipulating it with terrific ease. Jernu held his free hand out and the lightning collected in a tight ball in his palm. Jernu could feel the force within his palm and attuned himself to it. When Syrik's brother stopped emitting the energy, Jernu fired back the energy he held in his palm and it threw the Sith onto the ground. Jernu leapt over to the Sith and kicked his lightsaber away. The Sith threw another bolt at Jernu, and Jernu deflected it right back at the Sith. Afterwards, the Sith was not moving.

Jernu looked up just in time to see Syrik standing over Sloveen. He saw Syrik slowly lifting his saber to strike down the Trandoshen. Jernu used the force to speed over to his companion. Jernu held his saber out and kept the blade from striking the bounty hunter.

"Syrik, do not strike down an unarmed enemy! Remember the Jedi way!"

Syrik looked with a deep intensity into Jernu's eyes that Jernu had only seen in a Sith's eyes. Syrik's anger encompassed him, until he felt Jernu's compassion pierce the anger in his mind. It then dissipated and Syrik lifted his saber.

"Thank you, Jernu. I don't know what came over me. I almost felt like I was back at the Sith academy," Syrik sat down and held his head in his hands. Jernu turned to the Trandoshen and said, "You'd better get out of here, and if I see you again, I may not hold back." The Trandoshen stood up and ran off into the distance.

"I can't do this, Jernu. I couldn't even fight my own brother. How will I react to my mother?"

"Have faith, Syrik. The Light Side of the Force will guide you and you will overcome the Dark Side. You have more strength than you give yourself credit."

Syrik looked up to Jernu and the two smiled. Jernu held his hand out and helped Syrik up. They turned around to see a crowd of cheering peoples. Jernu talked with the town elders and the town agreed to help the Jedi in gratitude for killing the Warlock. The Jedi lead some of the strongest people in the town over to the _Harvester_ where, using ropes and aided by the Jedi using the force, they successfully pulled the ship out of the sand.

Syrik went on to repairing some minor damages on the ship while Jernu thanked the town members for their help. The damages on the _Harvester_ were only minor, and Syrik had them fixed in no time. The town offered to have the Jedi stay for a while as distinguished guests, but they needed to be going. They thanked them for the offer, but politely declined. The town said that the Jedi were welcome back anytime and the Jedi boarded the ship. They flew off to a crowd of waving people. Syrik engaged the hyperdrive lever and the stars flew past them. Jernu never liked space flight, especially going into hyperspace.

"How long will this take Syrik? I'm starting to feel a little quezey."

"Not much longer."

--

"What am I doing here? I shouldn't be here. I should be the one to kill the Sith, not those Knights! But no, while they go out and murder those Sith warriors, I'm just sitting here and watching over these stupid rocks!"

Phanius was sitting in Jernu's hut, arguing with himself quite loudly.

"This just shows how the Jedi have become. Favoritism! The council is so insecure about their authority, they hold anyone with power back, and give prize to the weak. I'm the Master! I should be in charge!"

Phanius paced around the room for a moment, thinking to himself. He then reached over into his satchel and retrieved a datapad he had brought from Corucsant. If the Jedi found him with this datapad, he would surely be exiled, or even murdered. But Phanius was ready to give the Jedi up. They had failed him for the last time. He was now ready to engage in and learn a new path. One thing was that he needed to assert his authority. He needed to prove to himself that he was strong and was no longer a Jedi. While thinking this, his eyes feel on Jernu's Gaffi stick.

"Perfect."

--

"Alright Jernu, we're entering Korriban space and are now exiting hyperspace."

"'Bout time," exclaimed Jernu. Suddenly the stars stopped moving and Korriban was visible in front of them. The planet was deserted and rocky, much like Tatooine. However, there are much more mountains, less deserts, and the planet has a much darker look. Jernu looked onto the planet and expected to feel like it was home. However, he could feel the Dark Side of the force, though faint as it was, radiating from the planet, and Jernu felt uncomfortable.

"The academy is towards the south pole, just ahead. We'll have to land just outside so we can sneak into the academy and confront my……my mother," said Syrik, swallowing a little.

The _Harvester_ flew into the planet's atmosphere. It punctured through the cloud cover and the surface was shown to them. Jernu was surprised by the immense statues that rose from the ground. They were in the shape of old, proud warriors of ages past. Jernu felt a quiver when he laid his eyes upon them.

"What are these statues? Are they Sith warriors?" asked Jernu, bewildered.

"I figure you would have learned the history of the Sith in all of the studies you've done. Well, since you asked, the people who lived on this planet were the original Sith. Thousands of years ago, the dark force users of old came here. They enslaved the Sith people and adopted their name. They forced the people to build statues of them and constructed their temple and academy here. About two thousand years ago, Revan, a convert from the Dark Side, destroyed the temple and academy. The residue dark side energy probably lured these Sith to try and rebuild the academy."

Syrik landed the _Harvester_ in a small gulley. Syrik told Jernu that the academy's entrance was down the gully farther. Syrik went to the back of the ship for a moment, and then returned with some black clothes. "We're going to sneak in posing as Sith warriors."

"Wait a minute. Just throwing on some clothes isn't going to fool anyone, even a Jawa trader."

"Now Jernu, I've been told you can be very 'persuasive'," Syrik said, giving Jernu an interested look. Jernu sighed and looked back at Syrik.

"These are Sith. That's probably not going work." Syrik continued looking a Jernu with the same look. Finally, Jernu said reluctantly, "I can't guarantee it will work, but I can try."

--

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I'm telling you, I saw a ship go over the horizon and land in the ravine!"

"You're just seeing things."

The two men stood, flanking the entrance carved into the gulley wall. They both wore simple, black tunics and pants. One, a Human, had been shaved bald. The other was a Twi'lek, a humanoid with two tentacles instead of hair. Then, from around the canyon corner, two figures appeared and headed toward the entrance. They were similarly dressed, however, they had hoods that hung low and covered their faces.

"Hey! Hey you! Who are you guys?" called the Twi'lek. "I told you I saw a ship," the Twi'lek said to the Human. The Human punched the Twi'lek in the arm.

The two figures continued toward the entrance with no answer to the call. When they made it to the door, the guards stopped them and stood in front of the entry way. The two figures held their hoods low as the guards stopped them.

"Allow us passage to see the Head of the Academy," commanded one of the figures.

"Who asks us so boldly?" asked the Human guard.

"I, Darth Martur, command you to allow us passage," stated Syrik lowering his hood.

"I…I cannot allow anyone in without the approval of the Head of the Academy," the human guard quickly stated, somewhat frightened.

Jernu lowered his hood and looked upon the guards. "You will allow us passage to the Head of the Academy," said Jernu, subtly waving his hand. The guard looked at Jernu for a moment, and then replied, "I will allow you passage to the Head of the Academy."

"You do your masters a great service," said Jernu, again waving his hand.

"I do them a great service," said the guard as he opened the doorway.

Jernu and Syrik looked at each other as they entered the Academy. Jernu had a little smirk on his face, as he enjoyed playing with the minds of the weak minded. However, he tried to keep it to a minimum.

The inside of the Academy was very poorly lit, with only a few torches on the walls. It took the two a moment to adjust from the bright light outside to the dimness inside. When their eyes adjusted, they saw that the walls were a very deep brown, and they glistened with dampness. Mold was seen in the many cracks that lined the walls. The first hall had a short ceiling, but the room itself was large. There were a few people standing around talking, and only one or two noticed them enter. Jernu could feel that these were only students of the Academy. However, He could feel an exceptionally strong pull of the Dark Side straight ahead of them. Just as Jernu was about to talk, Syrik opened his mouth and said, "She lies in the chamber ahead."

The two put their hoods back on and walked to the other end of the room, where a large archway stood. An exceptionally large man stood in front of the archway. The man was completely bald and had many body paintings on the places the two could see.

Jernu stood face to face, or more face to chest, with the man and said, "You will allow us to see the Headmaster," waving his hand

"No."

Jernu looked at the man and again said, "You will allow us to see the Headmaster," with a little frustration, again waving his hand.

"No."

Jernu let out a sigh and stepped back.Syrik gave a look over to Jernu, and intentionally showed Jernu that he was reaching for his lightsaber. Jernu looked at Syrik, and shook his head 'No.' Syrik nodded, with a little smile and took a step back. He drew out his sabers and engaged the guard, who drew his own red saber. It was here that the students noticed the fight and drew their sabers. Jernu turned to see the half dozen red lightsabers charging. Jernu drew his green saber and charged the students. When the students reached about ten feet away, Jernu stopped and held out his hand. Three of the six flew back and landed with a hard thud on the ground.

The other three continued unhesitant toward Jernu. He stood in his dueling stance and prepared. Just before they reached him, he swung low and cut out the legs from under one of them while he somersaulted to the left. He quickly dodged one of the swings and parried the other. He somersaulted again to the right and thrust through the chest of one of the last two. Jernu stood back up and took the defensive. The last student threw all that it had at Jernu, but he kept his cool and parried every attempt. When the student came with an overhead attack, Jernu grabbed his arms with his free hand and stabbed the student through the heart.

Meanwhile, Syrik was still fighting the large guard. Though the guard was obviously much stronger than Syrik, it still fought with an unearthly finesse, much like Jernu. When Jernu finished with the students, he quickly ran over to help Syrik. When he got there, the guard thrust his hand and Syrik was pushed back. Jernu immediately engaged the guard and called out to Syrik.

"Quick, get to the head master!"

Syrik stood up and ran through the archway. He ran several yards when he looked back. All he could see was the flashes of green and red, and all he heard was the clashing of lightsabers.

--

"He is coming to me," said Her-selk to herself, "I can feel my son coming."

As she said this, the door lifted open and Syrik stood in the doorway with both of his sabers activated. He looked with contempt upon her; however, she had a look of affection on her face.

"You have come here to kill me?"

"Yes."

"Your own mother?"

"Y……Yes," he said hesitantly. Her-selk stood from her seat and walked over to Syrik. He quickly raised his sabers, and Her-selk held her hands up in defense.

"You really don't want to kill me, do you? Why would you want to kill your own mother?"

"You are a Sith Lord. You must be destroyed."

"Under what decree? After all, you were a Sith as well. Why do you feel I need to be killed?"

"Be……Because the Sith are evil and corrupting. The Light Side is the true path," said Syrik very quickly, like it was a reflex.

"Now you are just spewing out the repetitive dogma of the Jedi. Look into your heart. Your are a Sith. You don't want to kill me." She spoke in an almost compassionate tone, like it was plain as a fact.

It was here that Syrik did look into his heart. It was the first time he had truly done so. When he looked, not to his surprise, he saw his mother. But he saw something he hadn't seen before. Instead of seeing the caring mother he had known, he saw his mother's cruelty, hatred, and anger. He saw the innocent men, women and children he'd seen her kill herself. Then, a new image entered his mind. He began to see Jernu, and he saw his kindness, He saw his benevolence, his compassion. He saw that Jedi that didn't kill him in the raid, but reached out to him. The Jedi that taught him far more than he could have with the Sith. Syrik then pulled himself back together and raised his head to see his mother's loving look. Syrik stood for a moment before proclaiming, "You will die today, mother."

Instantly, her look turned from love to anger. "You ungrateful little wretch! You shall die by my hands, and your blood shall be my trophy!"

She reached to her left and her lightsaber flew through the air into her hands. She thrust forward, but Syrik stepped to the side and pushed it away. He leapt in the air and flipped over to his mother's back. She twisted around and continued her attack. She slashed furiously as she approached Syrik. He could literally feel his mother's anger. It almost felt like it was burning him. He continued backing up and parrying as well as he could. Syrik tripped over a chair and fell to the ground. Seeing her opportunity, Her-selk released a bolt of energy at him. Syrik writhed in pain and his sabers deactivated. Her eyes flared with satisfaction, seeing her son wrenching in pain. She with-held her attack and slowly approached the smoking body on the ground, still clutching his light sabers.

"You fought well son," she said in her loving voice again, "but now, you will die."

Her-selk released more lightning from her hands. However, Syrik activated his saber and the energy grounded on the blade. He then activated the other saber and thrust the blade into Her-selk's chest. The energy ceased and her head fell. The eyes of the two met. She had a look of bewilderment and shock at the sudden turn of events. Syrik leaned up to her face and coldly stated, "Goodbye mother."

Syrik pulled his saber from her chest and Her-selk fell to the ground, vanquished. Syrik deactivated his sabers and placed the handles on his belt. Syrik looked down onto his mother and, truly, he felt a quiver, a longing for her. Very lightly, a tear swelled in his eye and he turned his head away. It was then that Syrik looked up and saw Jernu, with a large, burnt gash on his right bicep, standing in the doorway. Syrik's lip lifted up into a smile.

"You've done it, Syrik. You have truly overcome your past. You are a Jedi." Syrik walked over to Jernu and embraced him strongly. The two stood for a moment before they let go of each other.

"Come on Jernu, we have a temple to raze," said Syrik as two red beams of light sprung from his hands. Jernu raised his lips in a smile as a green light emitted from his hand. The two walked down the corridor and into the shadows.

--

Jernu didn't want to have to kill every member of the temple, but none would be taken as a prisoner. He would have left them alive, but they were far too dangerous. Syrik also had a bit of compassion for the Sith they were forced to kill. Perhaps it was his deeper embrace of the light side, but he began to look back on his career as a Sith assassin, and was feeling guilty for what he had done.

Syrik was leading the _Harvester _back to Tatooine so Jernu could relieve Phanius of his duties. They had been gone for the equivalent of 3 days on Tatooine, and Jernu was sure of himself that Phanius must have been bored out of his mind. It took seven years for Jernu to no longer be bored there. But, the ruins and the Sand People helped to entertain him. Jernu looked out the windows hoping to see the planet just as he left it, and initially, he was right. Then, the ship approached Mos Espa, and when his eyes feel to where the ruins would be, a black pillar of smoke was rising into the air instead. Jernu's heart sank.

Just as soon as the bay door opened, Jernu ran out of the ship, Syrik soon following. Jernu reached his cottage, and everything seemed normal on the outside. When he opened the door, however, the room was entirely trashed. His datapads were shattered across the ground. Jernu rummaged for a moment, looking for any information, anything, that was salvageable. Then he found something that told him what he hoped was false. He found his Gaffi stick, cleanly sliced in half, as if with a lightsaber.

Syrik looked at Jernu sitting on the ground for about a minute. He thought he saw Jernu's shoulder quiver and heard a slight sob. Suddenly, Jernu's head jerked up, and stood slowly. He turned toward the door and walked out, not even noticing Syrik. Coldly and rigidly, he walked over and jumped onto his speeder bike. Just before Jernu engaged the throttle, Syrik hopped onto the back and held on tight. The bike zoomed off over the Dune Sea toward a single rocky mountain. The pillar of smoke rose higher and higher, and the Jedi grew closer and closer. Syrik noticed, however, that they weren't going to the smoke pillar. The pillar was on the right side of the rock outcropping, and they were heading to the left. Just as Syrik noticed this, Jernu had increased the speed.

When Jernu finally stopped, Syrik didn't know where they were at. Jernu took a single step away from the bike and fell to his knees. Syrik looked around and saw that they were apparently at a place where a bunch of rocks fell from the mountain. He looked a little closer, though, and began to realize. This was the ruin that Jernu had been studying. He didn't know how they looked before, but judging by Jernu's reaction, he could assume that they were more assembled together than they are right now.

"Jernu, I'm so sorr…"

Jernu stood back up and hopped back onto the bike. This time, he waited for Syrik to get on as well. Jernu shot off, this time towards the smoke pillar. They zoomed around a rock corner and Syrik saw a field of blazing fires, five or six of them, next to a cliff wall. Behind one of the flames, Syrik also saw a dark cave. Jernu stopped and hopped off the bike, but didn't move from there. It was then that Syrik smelled something horrible, almost like burning flesh. He also climbed off the bike and stood next to Jernu.

"This was the Sand People camp." Jernu said, and then began to walk in between the fires and burning tents. Syrik followed with some distance, until Jernu heard something. He turned toward the noise and saw nothing, until he saw a part of a hut that wasn't burning began to quiver. He cautiously walked over to it and lifted the hide sheets. Underneath was a youngling, maybe only two or three. It obviously recognized Jernu as it immediately latched onto his leg and cried (or at least the Sand People equivalent of a cry).

Syrik ran over to Jernu and Jernu picked the youngling up. Then Jernu felt a disturbance in the Force, but it really felt like a spike in his head. He turned around to see Phanius standing in the cave entrance. Jernu handed the youngling over to Syrik and said, "Take him back to the _Harvester_," not even looking at him. Syrik ran back to the bike with the youngling and paused before speeding off. He didn't want to leave Jernu alone, but Syrik couldn't argue with him. Not right now.

"What have you done here Phanius!" yelled Jernu, pacing a few steps.

"Phanius? Oh, yes! You don't know yet. That was my Jedi name, my weak name. That name no longer applies to me. The Jedi have lost sight of what is most important. And that is power! The Jedi reward loyalty, not power, like they should. No, not Phanius. I am now Darth Ruin, Dark Lord of the Sith!"

Jernu simply looked at Phanius, until he said"You will pay for what you've done today, _Ruin_."

"You think that you will be the one that bestows judgment onto me. You are but a mere Knight, I was a Master of the Jedi Order, and now, I've attained even more power with the aid of the Dark Side."

"The Dark Side will only lead to your destruction," said Jernu as he activated his lightsaber.

"And yours," said Ruin as his yellow saber sprung from the handle.

Jernu charged in towards Ruin swinging his saber to the right. Ruin held his saber vertical and deflected the blow. He then swung the attack to the left and thrust forward However, Jernu stepped to the right and out of the way of the thrust. Jernu then feinted an overhead attack and swung low to cut Ruin's legs out, but Ruin leaped into the air and flipped over to Jernu's backside. Ruin swung from the left, but Jernu dropped onto the ground and dodged the swing. Ruin then made and overhead swing, and Jernu rolled onto his back and deflected the attack. Jernu focused the Force and thrust his free hand forward. Ruin flew away and landed between two fires.

Jernu leapt to his feet and charged in again. When he reached ten feet from Ruin, he leapt into the air and landed on the other side of Ruin. Jernu released an onslaught of hacks and swings onto Ruin, but Ruin could see these ahead of time and parried everyone with ease. Eventually, the two locked sabers in front of their faces when suddenly, Jernu couldn't breath. Ruin stepped away holding his hand in a gripping position. Jernu couldn't release himself from the grip, so he made a desperate move. Jernu pointed his hand straight out and a storm of electricity flew into Ruin. Ruin writhed in pain and lost concentration, releasing Jernu. Jernu collapsed to the ground, also losing concentration. After Jernu had felt the lightning from Syrik's brother, he then knew how to use that power. However, it drained Jernu. The two were on the ground for only a moment, until they both stood back up.

Ruin limped over to Jernu and the duel continued. Although Jernu felt very fatigued, he could see that Ruin was also beginning to slow down. This fight would kill them both if something wasn't done soon. Jernu was just about to try and cut Ruin's legs again, when Ruin broke from the fight and ran back into the cave. Jernu pursued him until he couldn't see anything in the dark cave. He then heard a low rumble and grew worried. He bolted for the cave entrance and ran to the cliff wall. Just as he cleared the opening, a ship flew out of the entrance and into the sky. Jernu looked off to the ship, deactivated his saber, and began to walk back to the Mos Espa. He reached the edge of the former Sand People camp when he saw a speeder bike zooming back to him from the city.

--

"He got away. I tried, but he was too strong."

"Jernu, you held out and nearly killed him. He ran away. It seems that you won this fight."

"Sure, this fight, but who knows what he may do. For all we know, he may rally Sith to join him, or worse, lure more Jedi away."

The two returned to the _Harvester_ and boarded the ship. Jernu decided that his mission was now done on Tatooine. He had nothing more that he could do. Now, both of the Jedi had felt the pull of the Dark Side, and both had over came it. Jernu turned around and saw the youngling in a seat on the ship.

"What is your name?" asked Jernu in the Sand People language.

"Teyshar," said the youngling.

Jernu looked at the youngling, still in his traditional robes, and saw a light. He could feel the force in the child. He could feel it very strongly. Jernu grabbed the youngling by the shoulders and said, "How would you like to become a Shaman, like me?"

The youngling began to jump up and down enthusiasticly, clapping its hands. Jernu knew that this one would be a powerful Jedi, and maybe, he could help convince the Republic that the Sand People are just as civilized as the other sentients. Jernu sat in a chair and placed the youngling on his lap. He looked to Syrik and said, "Let's go back to Coruscant." Syrik lifted the ship off the ground and flew up to the sky.

17


	2. Concerning Love

Concerning Love

Eleven years. Eleven years had passed by since Jernu had not set foot back on Tatooine. Since the event eleven years ago. He had been living on Coruscant since then. Living in the Temple. During this time, he had been teaching young Teyshar, who was not so young any more. He had blossomed into a strong and just Jedi, but was still headstrong, as most younger Jedi are. Syrik flew in and out of the Temple, going on various trips and missions. He had decided that he no longer wanted to do any more "covert" operations, and instead became an upfront warrior and Jedi Ace.

Ever since Phanius had left the Jedi, he began recruiting more and more Jedi to his cause and has started many open conflicts throughout the galaxy. Some have begun to call this the "New Sith Wars" with the wars 2,000 years ago being the "Old Sith Wars," but the Order has not declared open war yet. Although the Council does not worry much about the conflicts, most Jedi in the lower ranks are beginning to lose optimism.

The three companions met on many occasions through the time that had gone by, and many of their fellow Jedi in the Temple have began to start to call them, "The Three." Seeing The Three had become a common site in the Temple, except for when Syrik would be off. Teyshar had picked up the Common language well (better than Jernu expected). In fact, Teyshar had really picked up the intergalactic culture, showing that the Sand People could be more than just savages. Despite this, Jernu insisted that Teyshar follow the ways of his people, including always wearing his robes and mask (but not the traditional ones), and never showing his face to others. Jernu taught Teyshar all that he could remember about Sand People culture, as well as recording what he could in the archives.

On one seemingly uneventful day, Jernu and Teyshar were walking down the halls when they noticed Syrik coming toward them.

"Greetings Syrik, how has the day treated you?" asked Jernu, stopping to speak.

"I have had better days, but nothing interesting to speak of. Have you heard the news, Jernu?"

"What is it?" asked Jernu.

"Lord Ecclessis Figg has commissioned the Incom Corporation to build a city on the planet of Bespin."

"Is Bespin not a gaseous plant?" asked Teyshar, wanting to be a part of the conversation.

"Indeed it is," stated Jernu, who looked upon Teyshar with approval.

"They are going to build it with repulsorlift engines underneath and it will harvest the tibanna gas in the atmosphere. They're also building a Jedi enclave on the city and they want several Jedi to inhabit and begin its functionality. The council has asked that the three of us be but few that go to Bespin, to the Cloud City.

Jernu looked at Syrik for a moment, and then looked down to Teyshar. He realized that it was Syrik that had introduced his last life changing mission.

"Well Teyshar, I thought it was about time you truly saw the Galaxy. We'll go."

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Teyshar wasn't sure why Jernu wanted to take him as a Padawan. Jernu lead a much more philosophical, contemplative life. He lived his life wondering the mysteries of the Force. Teyshar, on the other hand, was training as a warrior. He wanted to become a guardian of the Temple, protecting it from what may come. What Teyshar did not know was that Jernu was the only one willing to take him on as a Padawan. Jernu wished him to become a Jedi so desperately, but no Jedi wished to train one of the Sand People. Though a philosopher and knowledge gatherer by nature, Jernu was very skilled as a swordsman. He taught Teyshar to learn finesse, which would compliment Teyshar's natural strength.

Teyshar was much more accepted outside of the Temple than inside. The reason is that most people are unfamiliar with the Sand People, except for the well educated Jedi. When Teyshar was being taught about his own culture by Jernu, he was troubled about how Jernu described the fear of outsiders from the Sand People. It had almost seemed that the rest of the Galaxy was not much different.

He was preparing for the new move to the planet of Bespin. He was so excited to be leaving the Temple, which he has only done on trips to the rest of Coruscant. While packing his belongings, Teyshar reached for his lightsaber. Jernu himself had constructed it for Teyshar, placing a blue crystal in the hilt to represent the blue skies of Tatooine, which Teyshar can not remember. Jernu had lectured Teyshar about how he should never be separated from his saber, and Teyshar had taken it to heart. Jernu had described how his culture was so war-like and how they prized their weapons, which Teyshar could feel in his blood.

Walking down the halls, Teyshar could feel the force flowing in him, even a connection to Jernu. But he also felt a wide gap in his person. This, though, he did know the reason. In the Sand People culture, individuals were bound with a Bantha, who would become his companion. Teyshar had no Bantha, and thus felt incomplete, but he also knew that the Jedi would not allow a Bantha in the Temple. He reasoned with himself, saying that this would be his continual test, with pain that follows him and tests him on his journeys.

As he entered the hanger, Teyshar beheld a familiar ship, the _Harvester_. Syrik did not officially own the _Harvester_, Syrik was granted first right to its use when not on a mission. Teyshar could see Syrik sitting in the cockpit working on whatever. Teyshar had little understanding of ships, like his Teacher. He also saw five other Jedi, including Jernu, hauling supplies onto the _Harvester_.

"'Bout time Teyshar," called Nroobi, another Padawan and friend of Teyshar. Nroobi was a young human female of the same age as Teyshar, who trained under Brocar, an "aged" Trandoshen Master. Nroobi and Teyshar would often train and meditate together, and had long conversations in the Temple halls. Jernu worried a little about the two falling in love, not only because those emotions are discouraged, but also because they were two different species as well, though neither truly knew that.

Brocar was bringing his other Padawan on the move to Bespin, as well as another Master and Padawan were going along with The Three on the _Harvester_. There were also two other ships making the trip to the Enclave. The three ships lifted from the platform, and made their way to the City in the Clouds.

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The smoke and vapors cleared away as he walked down the corridor. It seemed that even the air wished to leave his presence. The line of droids snapped into attention, blasters on their chest, as he walked past. Behind him, two of his students followed, flanking on either side.

"My Lord, are we prepared? Word says that nearly thirty of them are coming. Are you sure that we have the capability to combat them?" asked one of the students.

"You must understand, that whether we win or not now, they will loose in the end."

"How do you know this my Lord?" asked the other student.

"I have foreseen it."

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The clouds dispersed with the _Harvester_ flying through. The star shinned through the heavy orange-red clouds and the Three were sitting in the cockpit. The _Harvester_ was acting as the lead ship on the flight with the _Juggernaut_ and _Star Daze_ following behind. Jernu was flipping through his datapad, studying as much as he could about the City in the Clouds, as it would be his new home for some time.

Teyshar sat behind Jernu, not as interested in what was to come. He looked over Jernu's shoulder, saw what he was reading, and lost interest very quickly. Syrik was only flying the ship, so Teyshar left the cockpit, looking for Nroobi. He found her in the impromptu meditation chamber (mess hall) and began a conversation with her. No one else was in the chamber at the time.

"Are you as excited as I am about this?" asked Nroobi. "I can't wait to see what the Enclave looks like."

"I'm also fairly excited, but this seems like a fairly bland planet to go to."

"Haven't you seen the horizon, this place is beautiful!"

"Well…I suppose. But there are some other places I would rather go to."

"Such as…" asked Nroobi very playful.

"Well, my Master keeps telling me about my home planet, Tatooine. But, I don't even remember what it looks like. I haven't even seen another one of my own kind." Instantly, the mood went down hill, and there was a pause where Nroobi felt too awkward to say anything. Teyshar stared at the ground, while Nroobi kept sneaking looks at him.

"To tell you the truth," said Nroobi, breaking the silence, "I've never seen one of your kind, either. For that matter, what is your kind?"

Teyshar breathed deeply, lifting his shoulder, and then said, "All I know is what Jernu told me. Only I have seen my face under my mask, not even Jernu. He says that my culture does not let anyone except for their spouses to see their real face."

"How can it be your culture if you weren't born in it?"

"Jernu says that I should respect my people and practice their ways."

"What if Jernu is wrong?"

Teyshar threw what she said around for a second before he opened his mouth. Before he could say anything, Brocar opened the door, and stared at the two younglings sitting on the benches. The two looked up at him, Nroobi showing a feeling of embarrassment.

"Come you two, gather your things. We've arrived."

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Brocar didn't like Teyshar. He didn't like him one bit. Brocar didn't trust the Sand People. He had worked on Tatooine, and had seen the brutality of the Sand People. How one of them could ever become a Jedi was beyond him. He secretly wanted to kick Teyshar from the order, fearing that he may join Darth Ruin and the Sith. The fact that Teyshar was very familiar with his own Padawan didn't ease any of the feelings.

As the groups of Jedi walked of the _Harvester_, Brocar approached Jernu.

"Were you aware that your Padawan and mine were alone together in the mess hall?" asked Brocar, seemingly annoyed.

"And…?"

"I am beginning to fear that the two of them are becoming a little "attached" to each other."

"Brocar, I realize your feeling towards the Sand People, but Teyshar was not raised among them. He is not like the ones you met. That group was some bad fodder, not all Sand People are like them."

"You know full well this isn't about that. I feel that the two are becoming to close to each other. They may fall in love, and become attached. Attachment can lead to jealousy, the younger sibling of greed."

Jernu knew there was more to Brocar's emotions than concern for his padawn. He felt that Teyshar was simply waiting for the moment to strike and murder off Jedi one by one. Jernu felt that the relationship between Teyshar and Nroobi was just that of two children, but the two were getting older. "I will speak with Teyshar, but realize, I feel you are over reacting."

"Feel what you may," stated Brocar, who walked off towards his two Padawans. Teyshar jogged over to Jernu hauling his pack over his shoulder.

"What did Master Brocar have to say, my Master?"

Jernu paused before answering. "Teyshar, you are becoming of an age where you will feel certain things…..emotions. These will lead to….attachments to certain people, and you must try to avoid these. Friendship with others is accepted, but the fear of loss can lead to the your destruction. Do you understand?"

Teyshar was very confused, but didn't want to upset his Master. "I believe I do, Master."

The group of Jedi stood on the landing platform, waiting for their transport to the enclave. Teyshar looked around the group, until his eyes fell on Nroobi. Within his stomach, a slight pain swelled. His heart began to beat faster. He felt he needed to talk about his feelings, but after Jernu's lecture, he did not wish to talk to his Master. Looking past his Master, he then saw Syrik. He walked to Syrik casually, and engaged him.

"Syrik, could I ask you a question?"

"Sure. What is it, Teyshar?"

"Well, my Master talked to me about not becoming attached to people, saying that it can lead to my destruction. I'm not entirely sure what he meant, but…whenever I see Nroobi, I…I…I just want to…to…"

"Teyshar," said Syrik, placing a hand on Teyshar's shoulder, "It's completely natural. What you're feeling is called love. Love is fine, not part of the Dark Side. It is in fact the highest aspiration of the Jedi. What your Master is warning against is attachment. I was attached to my family for a while, even when they were such horrible people, and I was consumed by the Dark Side. When it came time for me to confront my family, my attachment held me back. Once I overcame that attachment, I became a better person, and was lifted from the Dark Side. You can still love Nroobi; just don't let that love blind your judgement."

Teyshar looked at Syrik. He never knew that Syrik was so wise. Suddenly what his Master said seemed so much clearer. He looked back at Syrik, said thanks, and walked back to Jernu. Just as he reached his Master, a transport ship landed and the Jedi filed on board. Syrik stayed behind and followed in the _Harvester_, along with the other two ships.

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The Enclave was drastically different from what Teyshar was familiar. Though the inside of the building seemed just like the Temple, the outside was far more industrial in appearance. It was square in shape, just as the Temple is, but far smaller. The Three found their quarters in the north-west end of the building. Teyshar immediately wandered the Temple with Nroobi, seeing all they can in the Enclave. With his mask on, Teyshar had poor peripheral vision, so he could not see Nroobi staring at him as they walked along. Brocar had had a long lecture with her about staying out of anything involving Teyshar, but she didn't agree with him.

While walking down the hall, they encountered Jernu and Syrik, who seemed to be engaged in an avid conversation. When they saw the younglings, they stopped and approached them. As they did, Syrik noticed how Nroobi immediately looked away and feigned no interest in Teyshar.

"How would the two of you like to come along with us on a tour around the City?" asked Jernu. The younglings seemed so excited at this new event, as they had lost interest in touring the Enclave. However, Syrik saw that Nroobi seemed less enthusiastic about it than Teyshar. 'Perhaps she would enjoy it more if the two of us weren't around,' Syrik thought to himself.

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"It is an honor to escort you around the city"

A young looking man stood on the steps outside of the Enclave as the Jedi emerged from the entrance. He stood at about 5' 10", and was leanly built. He had bright, straight blond hair and looked several years younger than he actually was. Syrik walked over to the man and shook his hand.

"Jernu, this will be our escort for the day. His name is Devin Skyrunner, and he's a mechanic here in the city. I met him a year or so ago. There is virtually no area in this city he doesn't know."

"A pleasure to meet you," stated Jernu, approaching Devin and shaking his hand. "This is my Padawan, Teyshar, and his friend, Nroobi."

Devin looked down to the two Padawans and gave a puzzled look when he saw Teyshar. Devin had never seen anything like it before. Was he a human? Either way, he was a Jedi, and that was good enough for Devin.

The four Jedi followed Devin down the steps and into the streets. The fact that the city was actually composed of several layers, Devin was only going to show the levels around the Enclave. The Enclave was itself was toward the top of the city, and most of the services were located around that same area. Above were hotels and resorts, while below were the machinery that worked for the city.

As the troop walked down the streets, Syrik would look behind to see the two Padawans. Teyshar seemed to be very caught up in all that was going on around him. Nroobi would try and talk to Teyshar, but after a few lines of dialogue, Teyshar would drop out, making Nroobi very annoyed.

Syrik looked over to Jernu, who seemed somewhat oblivious to the goings on between the Padawans. Syrik tapped Devin's shoulder and asked to find a place to rest. Devin found a small diner and the group sat for a bite to eat. Devin, Syrik, and Jernu sat in one booth, while Teyshar and Nroobi sat in another. As Devin walked away for some business, Syrik leaned across the table to Jernu.

"Have you been watching Teyshar and Nroobi lately, Jernu?"

Jernu adjusted his cloak and then looked directly at Syrik. "If you are about to say what I think you are going to say, I've already discussed this with Brocar…"

"Yes, I understand that you are familiar with the situation. But I think it's a bit more serious than you may think. Teyshar asked me for advice about it and I began to watch them throughout the day."

"So…you're going to begin blaming me on this, too?"

"Actually, it seems to me that Nroobi may be the instigator in this affair. As I've watched them, it seems that although Teyshar does love Nroobi…I can feel not just love come from Nroobi, but also passion. Every time they talk, Nroobi seems far more engaged than Teyshar, and she seems to be the most annoyed when they are parted. I fear Nroobi is the one that is attached."

Jernu breathed in heavily and exhaled audibly. "I have felt this as well. Teyshar seems to be the innocent." He paused. "However, I feel that I cannot speak to Brocar about it. He feels that Teyshar is the passionate one, and will not admit that it is his Padawan."

"Well, when you do confront him and Nroobi on this, I shall stand behind you. That ought to remove some of the stress."

Jernu let ought a light laugh with Syrik, "Thank you, Syrik. You are stronger in so many areas than I am. How it is I converted you I will never know."

"You underestimate your own strength. Your devotion to the Jedi Order has made you a far more honest and wise man than me, even if you can't articulate it that well."

"I'll take that as a compliment," said Jernu, and the two laughed again. Jernu then began to look around. Syrik saw a very confused look on his face.

"Where are those two, anyway?" Syrik looked around the diner and neither Teyshar nor Nroobi could be seen.

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"I can sense him. He has come here."

"Who do you speak of, my Lord?"

"None of your concern. Are the droids ready?"

"Yes, they are prepared to move out, my Lord."

The Lord cracked a smile under his long black hood. He turned to walk out of the room when another man ran into the room. The Lord stopped and looked over to the man.

"My Lord, we have captured two Jedi. They were wandering the streets alone."

"Any identification on them?" asked the Lord.

"No, but they are younger. I believe they are students."

"Excellent. Perhaps they can be 'persuaded,'" stated the Lord, who then let out a small cackle.

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It was cold, very cold. His head was throbbing and he couldn't move. He could taste water on the air. He couldn't quite see yet, but when he regained his sight, he found he was chained to a wall.

All Teyshar could remember was Nroobi convincing him to wander from the dinner. However, after that, he remembered nothing. The room he was in was very metallic and dark. Many pipes jutted through the walls, and it was very cold.

He was alone; Nroobi was nowhere near. He needed to get out. No matter who it was that imprisoned him, he needed to find Nroobi and escape. He looked above to see his chains attached to the wall about three feet above his hands, and he dangled a foot from the ground. He looked at his shackles and concentrated. He lifted his legs and placed the soles of his shoes against the wall. He continued concentrating on the shackles and they began to separate. They shuddered as they moved until Teyshar thrust off the wall. The force of the push busted the shackles open and he was free. He stood in the room and was ready to run out until two battle droids entered the room. They held blasters in their hands. Teyshar leapt into the air, twisted his body, and obliterated the head of one droid with his boot. When he landed, he turned his pelvis and the other leg threw out the legs of the other droid. Teyshar rose to a stand, lifted his foot, and stomped on the head of the droid. The head flexed inward, and the arms fell limp.

Teyshar looked over what he had done. He had not done this himself, but rather, his training had taken over. Teyshar was becoming a true Jedi. He entered the hallway and looked down both directions. He could see several droids, but they hadn't noticed him. He moved back into the room to find something to help him. His eyes looked over the room, until they fell on the pipes. He knew that these could be useful.

He reached over and grabbed a pipe that extended from the top of the room to the bottom. When he pulled it from the wall, it broke so it extended about six feet. He spun it around, and really enjoyed its feel. Teyshar, feeling up to the challenge, ran out of the room and charged the droids.

The three droids turned to see a rampaging Sand Person, shrieking its classic battle cry. They lifted their blasters, but he was too fast for them. He leapt into the air, twisted his body, and swung the pipe into the center droids chest. The chest collapsed and flew backwards. He landed and thrust his foot to the side, crushing another droid against a wall. At the same time, he pushed the point of the pipe into the last droid and impaled it. The pipe snapped and he was now holding two three foot pieces. He looked around to find another droid, but there was none. As he settled down, he saw a closed door a few feet from him.

Teyshar opened the door, ready to fight, but found no droids. Instead, there were many lockers along the walls. He cautiously entered until he was sure he was safe in there. He opened one locker to find rows of blaster. It was the same in all the other lockers until the last locker. Inside was a single chest. He opened the chest slowly, sensing no danger. When he peered into the locker, he did not expect to see what he did. In the chest laid dozens of lightsabers.

Teyshar began to sift through the sabers until he found his saber. He placed it on his belt, but then paused. As he looked into the chest, he thought about the pipe. He then placed his lightsaber back in the chest and grabbed one of the double lightsabers. He activated the blades, being curious as to the color. What he found was that one blade was a deep blue, and the other was pure white. He looked at the saber for a second, deactivated it, and placed it on his belt.

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The droids marched down the hall, running their routine patrol. They had heard a small commotion, and decided to investigate. When they rounded the corner, they were astounded to find a pile of smashed droids. They hesitated a moment, when their torsos were suddenly severed from their legs. Their bodies fell to the floor, and the last thing their memory banks registered was the hum of a lightsaber.

Teyshar ran of down the hall, not knowing where he was going. All he knew was that he needed to find Nroobi and get to the surface. However, the problem was just finding her. As he ran down the hall, his mind wandered to what could have come of Nroobi. Was she alright, was she dead? No, she couldn't be dead, he thought. He didn't want to think about this, so he concentrated on where to go.

Just as he rounded a corner, he found himself in a vastly open room. It had a 20ft dome roof and was 50ft long. The lighting was fairly dim. He stopped at the doorway, seeing an individual in the center of the room. He couldn't see who it was, as their back was toward him, but he was able to make out that it was not a droid. He slowly drew his saber from his belt and quietly tip-toed toward the figure. When he reached halfway between the door and figure, it began to turn around, and Teyshar froze in place. When it finally exposed its face to him, he could finally see who it was.

"Nroobi! It's you! Quick we must escape back to the Enclave."

"No, we don't Teyshar."

Teyshar stopped for a second, bewildered by the comment. "Why not? This place is full of hostile droids. Why should we stay?"

"Don't you see, they don't have to be hostile. We can live here in peace. They told me we can."

Teyshar still wasn't sure how to take the situation. "Who are they? The droids?"

"The men who brought us here. They said that we can stay here, together. We can finally be together." It was here that Nroobi ran toward Teyshar and embraced him. Teyshar only stood there, somewhat returning the embrace. Nroobi stood back, hands still on Teyshar's sides. "What is wrong?"

"How can we be together? The Code forbids it," asked Teyshar.

"That's just it," she said enthusiastically, "we don't have to listen to the Code. The men that brought us here told me they can teach us the force without all the limitations of the Jedi." Teyshar suddenly pushed her away and broke her grasp. He was pretty sure what she was driving at.

"Did they tell you what they called themselves?"

Nroobi suddenly grew a look of worry on her face. "I knew this would happen. Listen, there not bad people, just misunderstood. They want us to be together, to reach our full potential, Jedi Order be damned!"

"I…I can't do this Nroobi," said Teyshar, stepping back, "I can't join the Sith. It goes against everything I've been taught."

Nroobi's look immediately changed to anger. "Are you saying you don't want to be with me? I thought you loved me Teyshar?" she said beginning to circle Teyshar.

"I do love you, but…"

"But WHAT!? There is no 'BUTS' in love!" She stopped, her head hanging down. "You broke my heart, Teyshar. Now you must pay," she said coldly, completely lack of inflection. Out of nowhere, a lightsaber appeared in her hand, and a red blade sprung from the handle.

"Don't do this Nroobi. You don't have to fight me."

She only looked at Teyshar. She looked at him square in the eyes. She spoke, but it was so low he could not hear her, only read her lips. She said, 'You broke my heart.'

Like lightning, she lunged at him, and Teyshar somersaulted to the side. He pulled the double lightsaber from his belt and activated it. Nroobi flipped through the air and landed by Teyshar. She unleashed an onslaught of blows on Teyshar, which he parried. He didn't want to attack her, so he backed away during the attack, until his back reached a wall. He leapt into the air to Nroobi's back, but she simply spun around and continued. Teyshar then back-flipped about ten feet away from her and the two stopped in their tracks. The two had a stare down, neither moving a muscle.

Teyshar knew he couldn't stave her off forever. She wasn't going stop until either one of them were dead. Teyshar had to do something, and he knew the only thing he could.

Nroobi came in with a flurry of attacks, and Teyshar saw an opening. After parrying these moves, he spun to the side and the white blade passed through her torso. Her body fell to the floor, and her lower portion soon followed. He immediately turned away, so as not to see what he'd done. He heard no cry, no plea, no scream. Even the lightsaber she held had deactivated. He turned around keeping his head high, not looking to the ground, when his blood soon ran cold. From the door way, five figures entered the room. Each one was dressed completely in black with dark hoods. None of their faces could be seen. Behind them, five droids pushed past and stood in front. They held their blasters up and each fired one bolt.

Teyshar, thinking he was over, deflected one bolt back to its droid, but found that all five lay on the ground. He couldn't have killed all five, could he? It was then that he noticed a sound. Something he wasn't sure was good or bad. He heard lightsabers behind him. He looked behind to see two very familiar faces. One held a green saber with a curved hilt. The other held two red sabers. The two walked forward and flanked Teyshar. The Three stood in defiance of the five Sith.

"You shouldn't have come here Phanius!" called out Jernu to the five persons. Teyshar was puzzled until the center figure lowered his hood, revealing a pale, sunken eyed humanoid. However, unlike others of his kind, his eyes lacked pupils, and his nose had virtually disappeared.

"I am NOT Phanius! Phanius died that day on Tatooine! I am Darth Ruin, and you are soon to be like Phanius!" It was obvious that the mere mention of his old name had enraged him. His four acolytes activated their sabers, as did Darth Ruin. However, Ruin held two sabers, linked at the base by a cord.

For what seemed an eternity, no one moved. That was, until one of Ruin's acolytes charged. It was here that all hell broke loose. Teyshar leaped to the side and engaged two of Ruin's acolytes, as did Syrik. Jernu moved to the center and met blades with Ruin.

Teyshar had little maneuverability, but still managed to meet all the blows of the acolytes. He could find no opening to which he could take advantage, until one tried to flip to his back. Teyshar kicked the other acolyte in the chest, pushing him against the wall, and thrust backwards. The blade went through the second acolyte behind him.

Syrik found his fight to be easier than Teyshar. Not only was he a Knight, but he knew well how to fight two combatants at a time. When one acolyte thrust in, Syrik slid his arm under and locked it into place. Using his other arm, Syrik parried a swing by the other acolyte, and proceeded to behead him. The one he clutched was thrown over his back and collided with the ground. When Syrik spun to finish him, the acolyte thrust forward with an open palm and Syrik flew toward the wall.

Jernu had the toughest fight of all. Ruin's attacks were relentless, as Jernu could feel his hatred emanate from his body. However, Jernu had grown stronger as well, and could meet every attack with his green blade. At one point, Jernu swung down and the cord was severed between the two blades. He moved it up to block a downward hack with both of ruin's blades, and Jernu saw his opening. He thrust his palm and Ruin flew back into the corridor. The two surviving acolytes ran into the hallway as well and the door shut. Jernu ran to it, but found it to be locked. He lifted his blade, ready to cut through the door, when Syrik placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Well never catch him now."

Jernu stopped, and then deactivated his blade. The Three moved away from the door and walked off. Teyshar's eyes moved across the room, until they fell on Nroobi's body. She almost appeared to be starring directly at him. He turned his gaze away, when Jernu placed his arm around Teyshar's shoulder. Teyshar looked up and saw Jernu looking down at him. Jernu creaked out a smile, as did Teyshar. Jernu couldn't see his smile, but knew it was there.

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"How did those Knights get down here?"

"That doesn't matter know. We must prepare for our next attack. We must rally more troops," cried out Ruin.

"Why?" asked one of the acolytes.

Ruin slowly turned to him. "You dare question me?"

"Every thing you have done has lead to failure! You are being stripped of your title as Dark Lord of the Sith!"

"You can never supersede me!"

Suddenly, a red saber appeared in Ruin's chest, and he fell to the floor. The other acolyte stood with his saber activated and looked down on Darth Ruin, former Dark Lord of the Sith.

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The Three returned to the Temple on Coruscant as heroes. For their bravery and skill, Jernu and Syrik were granted the rank of Masters, and Teyshar was knighted. Jernu was also quickly offered a position on the Council, but declined the offer. Syrik became a General in the Jedi's forces. As promised, Syrik stood behind Jernu when He confronted Brocar.

"Brocar, I am saddened to bring you the news of your Padawan's death. She had fallen in love with Teyshar, and the opportunity to follow that path by joining the Dark Side became too seductive for her. She refused to turn from that path, and was killed."

Brocar simply looked into Jernu's eyes. Jernu was on the verge of apologizing, when Brocar spoke. "I'm sorry I acted so harshly. I had been focusing to much of my attention on my other padawan, I was not paying attention to Nroobi's emotions. I am sorry Jernu."

Brocar walked off, and Jernu looked back to Syrik, who was smiling back at him.

Teyshar's first assigned mission was to investigate Tatooine for any Sith activity. Upon his arrival, he immediately changed his mask, so as not to draw attention. It was just as beautiful as Jernu had described it. He never sought out any of his kin on the planet, thinking that they would treat him like any other outsider. He had invited Jernu to come along to Tatooine, but Jernu said it was still too soon.

One day, as Teyshar wandered the dunes outside of Anchorhead, Teyshar heard a cry over the edge of a dune. It didn't sound sentient, whatever it was. He peeked over to see a lone anooba. Anoobas were small, dog-sized hunters that worked in packs, so Teyshar was naturally cautious. However, he felt no other beings around him. He slowly walked over to it, and found that it had a broken leg. Despite this, it was still aggressive, and hissed at him as he approached.

Teyshar held his arm out, and the anooba immediately calmed down. He then felt something. That hole in his soul, the one where a bantha would fit, began to fill. Every second that he looked into the eyes of the anooba, Teyshar felt more complete. He eventually reached the anooba, and it didn't do a thing. It in fact began to nuzzle his leg. Teyshar kneeled down by the anooba and wrapped its leg in a cloth.

Teyshar picked the anooba up in his arms and walked back into town. He then realized something else. Not only had that hole in his being filled, but he also felt the sting from the loss of Nroobi fade as well. Holding the anooba, he looked out into the sky, only to see the duel suns hover over the horizon.

27


End file.
